Think you’ve come up with the next breakthrough invention? Created a new part with the potential to revolutionise your market?

Congratulations. But have you stopped to think about what happens if someone else gets wind of your idea and copies it? Or worse still, passes it off as their own?

The consequences to business don’t bear thinking about, but before you start to panic, there are ways to protect the look and design of your products.

Let’s find out how…

Intellectual Property Protection

To stop people from stealing or copying you can get what is referred to as ‘Intellectual Property Protection’ (IPP). Copyright, patents, designs and trademarks are all types of IPP.

Some types of protection are issued automatically. Others – such as patents and registered designs – must be applied for.

By putting IPP in place, you have the right to take legal action against anyone who attempts to replicate your ideas.

What can be patented?

For a part or product to be patented, it must be entirely original and something that can be made or used.

Things that can’t be patented include:

Business ideas and approaches
Computer software and websites
Literary, musical, dramatic or artistic works

Is it difficult to get a patent?

There’s no escaping the answer to this one – yes!

Patents are renowned as one the most difficult types of IPP to get – only 1 in 20 applications is successful without professional help. The process is long-winded and costly. You’re talking about anything up to 5 years for a patent to be approved. And, with the expense of specialist help added in, it can cost up to £4000.

That’s a sizeable sum – and a lot of waiting! But if your creation is worth it, then it’s time and money well spent.

The best approach is to seek advice from a registered patent attorney and to carry out a patent search to be entirely sure your product is original before you begin the process.

How long does a patent last?

You’d be forgiven for assuming that after going through such a lengthy process, that would be it, your patent would be in place permanently. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.

A patent must be renewed 4 years from the date it was first applied for. Yearly renewal is then required each year going forward – for a maximum of 20 years.

Other ways to protect product designs

Patenting isn’t right for everyone. Design rights, which protect the look rather than the mechanics of a product, could be more appropriate for your business.

In the UK, unregistered designs are automatically protected – at no expense. This covers:

The shape and configuration of 3-dimensional parts – for 15 years from creation.
The appearance (including shape, materials, texture etc.) – for 3 years from the date the design is made public.

For the protection to be awarded, however, you must be able to prove the date of creation. This can be done by getting signed copies of designs certified by a solicitor.

If you feel you need more protection or cover for a longer period of time, you can apply to register a design. This must be renewed every 5 years but can safeguard your product for up to 25 years.

Work with a team you can trust

After investing so much time and energy into protecting your designs you want the end product to be worth it, right? Important then, to work with a manufacturing team you can depend on to go above and beyond, every step of the way.

And that’s where we come in!

At Lupton and Place, we pride ourselves on exceptional service. Leading the way across Europe for diecasting services, we offer unrivalled in-house manufacturing capabilities, tailoring our service to comply with your exact design needs.

To find out more about the die casting services we offer, and how we could help you to bring your next product idea to life, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.